Today is a breakthrough in cancer detection for pets: OncoPet Diagnostics announced that it has launched the commercialization of the first-ever cancer detection test available in veterinarian offices for all mixes and breeds of dogs.

According to the National Canine Cancer Foundation, 1 in 3 dogs will contract cancer in their lifetime, and this number increases to 1 in 2 if the dog is more than 10 years of age.

About the test: The OncoPet RECAF™ cancer test is based on a new cancer marker called RECAF™. This test provides an indication of the likelihood (with a 90-95% confidence level) of the patient having a malignancy

The RECAF blood test is a new test that can help veterinarians determine if companion animals have cancer. The RECAF cancer market is not specific for any particular type of cancer; it is produced in excess by all malignancies so far studied, meaning that it can detect most types of common cancers. It is elevated in the blood of approximately 90% of dogs with cancer.

How can I get the RECAF test for my dog? OncoPet Diagnostics has a simple protocol for screening dogs for cancer — an additional blood sample is collected at the same time blood is drawn for routine blood tests at your regular visit to your companion’s veterinarian.

When do I get the results? Approximately one week after the test, depending on your location.

How much does it cost? In North America, the price is estimated to be $90- $120 to the animal caregiver plus shipping cost. OncoPet charges the veterinarian who then charges the caregiver for the test.

About OncoPet Diagnostics: OncoPet Diagnostics is a wholly owned subsidiary of BioCurex, Inc., a biotechnology company with proprietary and patented technologies in the area of cancer detection. OncoPet Diagnostics was created to service the animal health area, initially focusing on veterinary oncology medicine.

“After announcing the formation of OncoPet Diagnostics, we were contacted and have been in discussions with potential exclusive licensing interests,” said OncoPet Diagnostics President Dr. Ricardo Moro-Vidal. “After several rounds of negotiation, we have determined that launching this clinical veterinary service is of more long-term value to shareholders than selling exclusive rights to OncoPet RECAF. While coming to this conclusion, we continued to collect valuable data that we have incorporated into our products. The decision to continue with our original plan will allow us to start engaging distributors on a timely basis.”

“OncoPet Diagnostics will provide testing services in a similar manner to traditional clinical laboratories,” said BioCurex Executive Chairman Denis Burger, Ph.D. “One notable distinction is that we will produce all the necessary reagents for the test and the testing service will be performed in-house at our BioCurex facilities. This ensures a high degree of accountability, is more profitable than selling test kits and requires no regulatory approvals.”

As previously indicated, OncoPet Diagnostics will pre-sell vouchers to distributors, each valid for one test. The distributor then will sell the vouchers to the veterinarians who will send the voucher with the sample to the OncoPet testing facility. OncoPet Diagnostics has developed a sophisticated software system to manage the ordering, testing and reporting process. This system can be efficiently replicated, which allows for future expansion with minimal expense, as well as facilitate remote monitoring and quality control.

The processing capacity of OncoPet’s current testing facilities is estimated to be approximately 1,000 RECAF tests per day. In British Columbia alone, with a population exceeding 4 million, over 120,000 routine blood tests are carried out on pets every year. The company is in discussions with distributors in North America and Europe.

“The fact that we are commercializing the OncoPet RECAF test directly does not preclude us from licensing our technology or joint venturing with other veterinarian diagnostic companies, provided they do not demand an exclusive agreement,” noted Dr. Burger. “Each particular opportunity will be evaluated on an individual basis.”

“It is important to keep in mind that the OncoPet RECAF test for companion animals is not a substitution for our RECAF tests designed to detect cancer in human patients, but rather an addition aimed to accelerate revenue generation while the human tests move through the pre-marketing phases before commercialization,” said Dr. Moro-Vidal. “This represents a major step in our diligent work on all fronts to make BioCurex, Inc. a commercially successful enterprise.”

Well, they're definitely on the right track reading their Q&A I'm skeptical.The test does not provide information regarding the type of cancer or at what stage the cancer is at or if it has metastasized (spread).

What would be the point of running a test? If a dog shows clinical signs of lymphoma, you could pay the $120 for this blood test, or you could simply send in an aspirate of a swollen lymphnode. Not to mention the fact if a dog is showing clinical signs and you know it's lymphoma all this test does is tell you that the dog definitely has some kind of cancer. I mean... we've had one bone cancer patient that looked like bone cancer at first, sent the rads in to a specialist the specialist said the dog had osteoporosis, treated with pain meds, rechecked in 3mos when the dog was getting worse and it was definitely bone cancer. So I'm not really sure how I feel about this because I feel like there's already enough ways to diagnose cancer. I guess if your specialist is unsure about a lump or something you could run it, but again it doesn't tell you where the cancer is or what it is so you couldn't necessarily make a diagnoses off of the results because it just tells you the dog has it somewhere in the body.

I hope this is making sense. I think this is great progress in terms of helping find a cure/early treatment but I think they need to push it a little further.

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I agree with you, either lymph node, or tumor aspirate just has to be sent to histopath, and you know exactly (most of the time) what it is. For more internal stuff, usually x-rays or echography will show masses, nodules or change in echogenicity of tissues. And there's already a test called hypercalcemia of malignancy (Idexx) that can indicate presence of cancer, if calcium is elevated in the routine blood test.